Brake pads conventionally are bonded to the surface of a backing plate or integrally molded upon the backing plate prior to mounting of the pads in the brake. When integrally molded the backing plate is provided with a multiplicity of recesses or apertures into which portions of the friction material are forced. After curing, these portions serve to resist shear forces between the pad and the backing plate during brake application. The strength of the brake pad is limited to the shear strength of the bonding material or the molded portions of the friction material.
In some low torque brake applications the brake pads are placed in recesses having side walls which extend partway up the sides of the brake pads. When the brakes are applied, the side walls of the recesses provide the only contact or holding force which prevents movement of the pad in the recess. Since this is only a small area of engagement a high shear force is imposed on the edge of the brake pad which is generally satisfactory for low torque applications. However, it has been found that under high torque applications, the side wall of the brake pad can shear off the bottom of the pad.